The invention relates to a game and the method of playing same, and more particularly, to a television game show in which a game is interactively played by the studio participant game players, the television studio audience and the television-viewing home audience, the home audience participating through the use of the television media coacting with the telephone media, in which all participating groups of players are eligible winners to be awarded prizes.
The game of the present invention is a variant of the well know prior art game known as bingo. The prior art bingo game is usually played in a confined area, such as a large hall or auditorium, where only the individuals present in the hall or auditorium can participate in the playing of the game. In addition to the audience players, there is usually a host who selects the numbers and informs the audience players thereof. Additional personnel is usually required to verify the winning game board or card and to award the prizes to the winning players.
In recent years, television has been used in lotto games administered by particular states in the United States, where the television-viewing home audience can view the random selection of the winning lotto numbers. However, there is no interaction between the televised selection of the lotto numbers and the home audience, where the television show merely allows the home audience to view the random selection of the winning lotto numbers. Furthermore, the television show is only directed to those particular members of the home audience who have previously purchased a lotto ticket bearing their selected lotto numbers thereon. Accordingly, the winning lotto players must contact the administrators of the lotto game in person in order to collect their cash prizes.
Accordingly, there is presently a need for a television game that allows the television-viewing home audience to participate therein through the use of the telephone media so that all the members of the television-viewing audience can be eligible winners, where the number of eligible winners is not restricted to only one television-viewing household, that permits the winners to be determined solely by chance, where there is no fee or charge to the telvision-viewing home audience for participating in the television game, and where the studio participant game players and the television studio audience can also interactively play the television game.